Quick acting hook



Jan. 26, 1965 o. MILLER 3,167,346

QUICK ACTING HOOK Filed April 24, 1963 INVENTOR. MARVIN O. MILLER BY Q- W W United States Patent f 3,167,346 QUICK ACTING HOOK Marvin 0. Miller, El Cerrito, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Apr. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 275,468

3 Claims. (Cl. 294-84) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of 'America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This is a continuation-in-part application of United States Patent No. 3,109,185, filed April 18, 1962, entitled Apparatus and Method for Launching and Recovering Lifeboats in Rough Seas.

This invention relates generally to quick acting and self closing hooks. More specifically it covers a manually maneuvered, normally open hook, which automatically closes upon contact with an object to be held and is adapted to be manually released and controlled by a lanyard when the load is removed. The use of such a hook is particularly applicable to rapid boat recovery systems especially when launching or recovery is made in open water where waves and currents affect such Work. The hazards of such an operation are directly attributed to the lack of speed and facility of the device for coupling the load to the hoisting apparatus. 7 g

The general purpose of the proposed hook per se is to rem ove the hazardous condition pointed out in the preceding paragraph and provide an improved type hook.

An object of the subject device is to provide a hook adapted to automatically close and catch when manually maneuvered into contact with a load bar.

Another object is to provide a vertically suspended hook body having a horizontal hook opening and a foam rubber grip attached to said body so that the suspended hook opening can be maneuvered with greater facility and safety into engagement with a load bar.

Another object is to provide a U-shaped hook body and an arcuate latch arm pivoted to said body so that the internal curved surface of the body and the external curved surface of the latch arm will coincide When closed and A will provide full arcuate bearing contact under load.

Another object is to provide a catch arm assembly connected to said arcuate latch arm but on the opposite side of the pivot from said latch arm.

Another object is to -make the catch arm assembly heavier than said arcuate latch arm so that its weight will tend to open the latch for sidewise engagement with a load bar.

Another object is to form the end of the hook body so that it will provide a combination keeper for the catch plunger in a closed position and a direct contact limit stop for the latch arm in fully open position.

Another object is to provide a latch spring under tension between the latch arm and said body so that it will urge the latch arm into fully open position, cocked for engagement with a load bar.

Another object is to provide lanyard means for retraction of the catch plunger and positively opening said hook remotely by a lanyard and retained in this open position by spring action between the body and latch arm as well 3,167,346 Patented Jan. 26, 1965 ice as the resultant of forces set up by the pivoted latch arm and catch arm assembly.

Additional objects reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hook in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the closed hook shown partially in section and containing a load bar; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the hook partially covered with a resilient material and open, ready for engagement with a load bar.

In detail, the hook 11 comprises a U-shaped body 12 designed for side opening as shown in FIG. 3,and adapted to be moved manually into engagement with a load bar 33 connected to any type of load usually an unsteady moving load to be lifted by said hook 11. A latch 13 7 is pivoted at pin 14 to said body 12 and comprises an arcuate latch arm 16 and a catch arm assembly 17.

One end of the body 12 is formed into a hook 18 which serves as a combination keeper for plunger 19 of the catch assembly 17 and also as a limit stop for tip 20 of the arcuate latch arm 16. In an open position FIG. 3 the tip 20 is stopped by hook 18 so that the quick acting, auto matic closing hook will be cocked into the open and preferred position for sidewise engagement manually with a load bar. v l

The detail design and structure of the combination arcuate latch arm and catch'assembly, pivoted to the body incorporates many of the novel features of the invention. First the arcuate latch arm 16 is provided with an arcuate external surface 28' designed to coincide with the internal arcuate surface 29 of the body 12. By the aforesaid detail the load carried by the latch arm" 16'is uniformly transferred to the hook body 12 without distortion of said latch arm 16.

The latch arm 16 is pivoted to hook body 12 at 14 and the catch arm assembly 17 is fastened to said latch arm 16 but disposed on the opposite side of the pivot 14. The catch arm assembly 17 includes a plunger catch 19 closed by plunger spring 21 so as to engage the keeper hook 18 and maintain the latch arm 116 closed and secure the load bar 33 in its lifting position, FIG. 2.

The plunger 19 is provided with a link 22 adapted for retraction of the plunger catch 19 against the tension of spring 21 and releasing the plunger 19 from the keeper hook 18 to open the latch 13. A lanyard 23 is attached to the link 22 so that the plunger catch 19 can be manually released at a point remote from the hook proper. Such a hook 11 may be employed for quick attachment to a boat at sea during rough water and the danger of injuring the operators hands or fingers are greatly reduced by the remote means for opening the hook. For the same reason, a resilient, shock-proof grip such as sponge rubber 32 is desirable as a cover for the handle 31 to facilitate maneuvering the hook 11 into engagement with the load bar 33. If onfirst try the latch arm 16 is accidentally closed, continued tension on the lanyard 23 will immediately open the latch arm 16 and catch arm 17, ready for a second try at engagement with the load bar 33 when the opportunity presents itself.

Another object of this invention is to design the curvature of the arcuate surface 30 of latch 13 against which the load bar 33 bears directly so that the vertical direction of force 34 of the load bar 33 will bear inside the body pivot point 14 thereby tending to retain the latch in a closed position regardless of the extent of the load. Therefore by supporting the hook 11 by a clevis pin through a said axis' extending throughfsaid assemblywebandf, I

I t assemblyfl weo center 7' said'asser'nbly being mounte'd inposition for swingingoutwardly from'a closed posi t ion; whereinlsaicl arc u f-j I "ateilatch arm =ab'uts {said arcuate -body portion-web" and said catch armitraverses Tsa'id U'-'openingj'of 1116:}; r I I I i 40 ANDRESTL NIELSEN Examifl I the top piyot'ijoint 24 the "Vertical pull by a loadon bar;

moment "of "force tendiii'gtdlo'se the" 33 Will'set up a latch 13 and secure the load bar therein. a

Still another feature of the design isthe encased formed torsion-spring 27 mounted on' tl1e end post -25fof ho dy 12 and encircling the pivot 14 andlbearin'g" under tension against the internal surface 29 :of IatCh arm '16. This spring '27 is; provided for, assisting the Weighted catch l V i arm assembly"17 in maintaining the latch arm 16fopejn a U-shaped body I and an interconnecting arcuate web, I I suspension-receiving meansprovided 'n said upper leg I I III I; 5 I 1. Hook apparatus'adapteid to besnspended from,above" vand comprising:v

portion ha'ving upper and lower legs in position for-oansingsaid s'iisp'ens'ion todispose th'e bodyportion with-the U-openin' 'facin substantially I laterally outwardly,

handle meanslcarriedghys'aid weband iitending later ally outwardly.of'theweb -in -a direction opposit'e-tol said U-o'pening, a

, a U-shaped latch andg catch 'as'se'mbly integrally f'ormed A I of a catch arm, an arcuate latcharm and anlinte'rcon necting arcuate web,

means carried by said lower 116g ofthei bod y perrion or pivotally carrying said latch and? catch assembly 7 on a'horizontal axis,

a ing offset outwardlyf of isaid I toward said'Uopening, 1

' body p'ortio'n', :into an- 'open jposition wh'erein' said uopening is"eXposed,-* I

operable rnanual ine ans is formed Pei-a lanyard secured to,

hook detentmean s carried at the outer end of the uppene or 'the'body portion for engagin the latch 1 arm in said open position whereby said outward swinging movement of the latch arm is limited,

assembly into said open position, 7

retractable? plunger me'ans carried at the outer endof said'catch arm'for engaging said hook detent means when said catch arm is in said closedjpositi'on, means resiliently" firg'ing said k of said catch arm; and I I means operable froma remote position" formanually retracting said plungen s'a1d:.plunger,;h'aying a camsurface adapted to e'n gage the outertendf of "said upper leg during a closing,

' movement of 's'a id latch and' ca'tch Yas sembly, said engagement depressing said 'plung'er for permitting the I .plung'er to move past said'outer end into a resilientlyheldfengagernent with said detentm'eans, whereby said. 20'

catch arm automatically eloses and interlocks. I 2. The apparatus; of claim 1' wherein said remotelysaid plunger means; I I i I I I Theapparatus -of clainil wherein said catch arm is heavier than the latch arm whereby the 'addedweight'tends to'swingthe assembly into its open position. I I a 'V References-Cited bythe" Examiner I Q'UNITEDLSTATESZPATENTS .1;

123,236 2;:1/72 Cathcart 24; 'z42 I 9963, 338; 7/-10- Thompson 294-;75 t1,'1-93,516,*I8/16'fClarke' *24' 2-41 1,398,654 1 1121:, v Sarup; 24442 -1,52O,'57.61 112724 Keaton, *24, '241 2,639,521} 5/53, iekeusion -16V-1'16 3 038 7531 /521 seager "24 '241 resilient means normally urging said latch and catch plunger. means outwardly 

1. HOOK APPARATUS ADAPTED TO BE SUSPENDED FROM ABOVE AND COMPRISING: A U-SHAPED BODY PORTION HAVING UPPER AND LOWER LEGS AND AN INTERCONNECTING ARCUATE WEB, SUSPENSION-RECEIVING MEANS PROVIDED ON SAID UPPER LEG IN POSITION FOR CAUSING SAID SUSPENSION TO DISPOSE THE BODY PORTION WITH THE U-OPENING FACING SUBSTANTIALLY LATERALLY OUTWARDLY, HANDLE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID WEB AND EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE WEB IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID U-OPENING, A U-SHAPED LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY INTEGRALLY FORMED OF A CATCH ARM, AN ARCUATE LATCH ARM AND AN INTERCONNECTING ARCUATE WEB, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LOWER LEG OF THE BODY PORTION FOR PIVOTALLY CARRYING SAID LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ASSEMBLY WEB AND BEING OFFSET OUTWARDLY OF SAID ASSEMBLY WEB CENTER TOWARD SAID U OPENING, SAID ASSEMBLY BEING MOUNTED IN POSITION FOR SWINGING OUTWARDLY FROM A CLOSED POSITION, WHEREIN SAID ARCUATE LATCH ARM ABUTS SAID ARCUATE BODY PORTION WEB AND SAID CATCH ARM TRAVERSES SAID U-OPENING OF THE BODY PORTION, INTO AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN SAID UOPENING IS EXPOSED, HOOK DETENT MEANS CARRIED AT THE OUTER END OF THE UPPER LEG OF THE BODY PORTION FOR ENGAGING THE LATCH ARM IN SAID OPEN POSITION WHEREBY SAID OUTWARD SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE LATCH ARM IS LIMITED, RESILIENT MEANS NORMALLY URGING SAID LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY INTO SAID OPEN POSITION, RETRACTABLE PLUNGER MEANS CARRIED AT THE OUTER END OF SAID CATCH ARM FOR ENGAGING SAID HOOK DETENT MEANS WHEN SAID CATCH ARM IS IN SAIDCLOSED POSITION, MEANS RESILIENTLY URGING SAID PLUNGER MEANS OUTWARDLY OF SAID CATCH ARM, AND MEANS OPERABLE FROM A REMOTE POSITION FOR MANUALLY RETRACTING SAID PLUNGER, SAID PLUNGER HAVING A CAM SURFACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE OUTER END OF SAID UPPER LEG DURING A CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY, SAID ENGAGEMENT DEPRESSING SAID PLUNGER FOR PERMITTING THE PLUNGER TO MOVE PAST SAID OUTER END INTO A RESILIENTLYHELD ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DETENT MEANS, WHEREBY SAID CATCH ARM AUTOMATICALLY CLOSES AND INTERLOCKS. 